**** The Official "O-linemaggedon" Thread ****

[walksalone]

The line was a disaster last year as well, and Rex did fine.... I don't see the Moore/Klatcho situations being as impactful as some seem to think. We have plenty of capable bodies on the line, and it sounds like both of those guys (Moore/Klatcho) were sliding down the depth charts anyways. Of course that means that the coaches believe we have better options available....

 

I hope you and them are both correct in that assesment, or the offense this year is gonna be really painful to watch

 

I don't want to see two 2nd string O-linemen leaving ruin the positive vibes coming from camp....

 

and unfortunately we'll know how right or wrong you are by the 5th game of the season...

[NebraskaHarry]

I've heard Givens-Price has been showing promise on the line this year. Any merit to that? And are we putting Reeves at guard now or keeping him at center?

[Enhance]

I just want to see a season without multiple false starts in a single drive.

 

2 per game max.

 

Otherwise they've done a great job in run blocking and the pass pro has been good in non-3rd situations.

I agree with your opinion on false starts, but I disagree with your assessment of their abilities.

 

They've been "great" sporadically, and that's being nice. When you take into account all the good things we did and compare them to all the penalties and bone-headed things we did, our offensive line is plain average. If you go back and watch film from the 2011 season, or before, you begin to see a trend of ineptitude. I'm not an offensive line expert, and I don't try to be, but even my untrained eye sees trouble. We don't have each member on our offensive line correctly doing their job play-to-play, we have guys getting out-gunned and out-maneuvered by less talented players, we have excessive penalties, we don't hold blocks long enough, and we have linemen not hitting a single opponent sometimes. The local and national media have lauded over Dobson and his training regimens, but I constantly feel that our line coaching, attitude, what have you, does not properly reflect our players' athleticism.

 

Before Klachko left and Moore's issues started, I thought one thing - if our offensive line isn't one of the best in the Big 10 by the end of the 2012 season and the beginning of the 2013 season, it's time for Cotton to go. There's simply no excuse to be underperforming this poorly in year five. Now, we've lost someone who had a lot of potential and have possibly lost a tackle who could have been our best linemen. We have some of the absolute worst luck when it comes to linemen, luck that's beginning to look more like an actual problem. Take Yoshi Hardrick, for example. His play was mediocre to above average last season, and he's a guy that should have been one of the best linemen in the B1G.

 

We still have a lot of experience coming back this year, and many will be back in 2013, too. Even such, we can't have a great line every four-to-five years and mediocrity the other years - we need a good line every year and great line every couple.

[strigori]

I'm not going to pretend to be a coach. But I worked with a guy who played for Barney at New Mexico as an O-lineman, and at the time was also a high school assistant coach himself, and he never had one good word to say about Cotton as a coach or a person. He repeatedly made mention to him being a poor coach. I remember him talking about Cotton not really teaching how to correct anything, just yelling that the player did it wrong. Take it for what its worth. I groaned when Bo hired Cotton, and I have yet to see anything that made me feel otherwise.

[Enhance]

I'm not going to pretend to be a coach. But I worked with a guy who played for Barney at New Mexico as an O-lineman, and at the time was also a high school assistant coach himself, and he never had one good word to say about Cotton as a coach or a person. He repeatedly made mention to him being a poor coach. I remember him talking about Cotton not really teaching how to correct anything, just yelling that the player did it wrong. Take it for what its worth. I groaned when Bo hired Cotton, and I have yet to see anything that made me feel otherwise.

I understand why Pelini hired Cotton - he knew him from a previous job and trusted him to at least manage the offensive line while he fixed the defense. It's very similar to why he retained Watson - you hang on to the offense, and I'll work with the defense.

 

Well, the Watson hire bit Pelini in the butt. Ted Gilmore also turned out to be a shoddy hire, and now Cotton is too.

[The Dude]

I'm not going to pretend to be a coach. But I worked with a guy who played for Barney at New Mexico as an O-lineman, and at the time was also a high school assistant coach himself, and he never had one good word to say about Cotton as a coach or a person. He repeatedly made mention to him being a poor coach. I remember him talking about Cotton not really teaching how to correct anything, just yelling that the player did it wrong. Take it for what its worth. I groaned when Bo hired Cotton, and I have yet to see anything that made me feel otherwise.

I also worked with a guy who played for Barney, not a New Mexico, but at New Mexico State, and not as an O-lineman. Anyways, he's also not a fan of ol' Barn.

[Moiraine]

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I've never understood why Cotton is still around.....he's a terrible coach and his product shows up on the field. Fire the guy for christs sake!

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I've been hearing the same thing about Cotton: he doesn't actually "coach"...he belittles the players thinking it makes them tougher. Apparently this backfired with Tyler which is why the door is still open for him to return. I suspect (and hope and pray, ask Santa Claus) he's gone at the end of this season.

[bournehusker]

For quite a while I thought cotton was the weak link. This year before any transfers or people quitting i figured we had a lot of talent but that it was sketchy at best wether it would manifest into a decent oline. I figured cotton would be promoted by now to atleast director of athletic mobility post practice and after study hall. I for one don't know how a guy who cant coach, cant recruit and has no personality relating to an 18 yr old can be at nebraska....sorry barney.

[bournehusker]

We used to take farm boys and turn 2, 3, even 4 of them into all Americans each yr. Now we take potential all americans and slowly erode their skills to the point of good talent but poor consistency. If they are lucky they go to the nfl in the 7th round and then after two years of coaching become starters and studs. This will be cottons last season or the begining of the end for the pelini era.

[strigori]

I'm not going to pretend to be a coach. But I worked with a guy who played for Barney at New Mexico as an O-lineman, and at the time was also a high school assistant coach himself, and he never had one good word to say about Cotton as a coach or a person. He repeatedly made mention to him being a poor coach. I remember him talking about Cotton not really teaching how to correct anything, just yelling that the player did it wrong. Take it for what its worth. I groaned when Bo hired Cotton, and I have yet to see anything that made me feel otherwise.

I also worked with a guy who played for Barney, not a New Mexico, but at New Mexico State, and not as an O-lineman. Anyways, he's also not a fan of ol' Barn.

Might have been New Mexico State, I can't keep either of those two strait. The guy I worked with played against Miami when they had a killer team.

[huskerhandy35]

I've said Cotton was a huge mistake from the first second he was hired! I don't care if Moore leaving wasn't Cotton's fault. The guy cant coach worth a S*** and has been a liability to the program all along!

Get rid of him before you start to losing support of the fan base! Loyalty to an assisstant coach over the program is intolerable and infuriating!

 

I don't say this off the cuff either! I have nothing against Cotton personally, and wish he was working out as the O-line coach but it's obvious, that he isnt! Problems on the field are bad enough, and now to lose 2 linemen of the offense? Isn't it odd that the anual weak link on the team is the O-line? Now it's starting even before the season starts? Whats next? NU gets a bad rep in coaching it's o-line so top recruits wont consider us? I hope not!

[Decked]

I've heard Givens-Price has been showing promise on the line this year. Any merit to that? And are we putting Reeves at guard now or keeping him at center?

 

 

Reeves has always been at guard. I have heard just pieces about Price.

[Decked]

With Cotton one mistake and your pulled now its time to pull him. The reason why kids don't like him is they are to afraid to go out and play fearing a mistake and being pulled.